Smelling a faint of gas can be extremely scary. The fear is there because a small spark could ignite the gas. Of course we’re also scared that the gas could be toxic, so we want to know the search. Normally the first thing to do would be to find the source and turn off a main valve that would stop the flow of that gas. Sometimes the transport or storage of gas is extremely dangerous.
Sadly, a gas leak has just taken place in India killing 11 people and sending many more to hospitals. The number of people admitted to hospitals is between 300-1000 people. Furthermore, 1000 people have been evacuated from the LG Polymer plant in Vepagunta, Visakhapatnam. This is a city on the East coast of India between Kolkata and Chennai. The plant is managed by South Korea based LG Chem, who said that the leak was now contained.
Leaking gas in your area can be dangerous; especially during evening hours when people are asleep. The hospitalized people need oxygenation and fresh air.
“The gas leak situation is now under control and we are exploring all ways to provide speedy treatment for those who suffer from inhaling the leaked gas. We are investigating the extent of damage and exact cause of the leak and deaths,” LG Chem said in a statement reported by India Today.
Primary report is PVC gas (or Styrene) leaked from LG Polymers, Vepagunta near Gopalapatnam in Visakhapatnam at around 2:30 AM today
Because of the leakage of the said compound gas hundreds of people have inhaled it and either fell unconscious or having breathing issues. pic.twitter.com/WeCdrbddV1— Srijana Gummalla (@GummallaSrijana) May 7, 2020
This kind of plant stores gas to make products from polystyrene, a type of plastic. The plastic is used to make cups, cutlery, makeup containers and electric fan blades. Polystyrene burns easily and releases toxic gasses when it does. The gas was simply being stored in a container that caused the contained gas to heat up and turn into a chemical reaction. That’s why the gas leaked.
There were still maintenance workers on site who were most effected. One of the night shift workers reported the leak after discovering it according to The Guardian.
This incident brings back memories of the Bhopal gas leak of 1984 , one of the worst industrial disasters of the 20th century. In that tragedy, thousands of people dies when 30 tons of methyl isocyanate gas were released from a pesticide plant run by Union Carbide. This has caused contaminated groundwater even decades later.
CORE & VULNERABLE AREAS MAP OF PVC GAS LEAKAGE. REQUESTING CITIZENS TO USE WET MASKS OR WET CLOTH TO COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH. pic.twitter.com/7u9U5zDBLN
— Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) (@GVMC_OFFICIAL) May 7, 2020